Debutantes Presented at Idlewild, Calyx, Terpsichorean Club Balls
The Idlewild Club kicked off the six-week debutante season in November by presenting five young women, all legacies with deep Dallas roots.
The Dallas social organization, founded by seven men in 1884, has presented more than 1,000 debutantes since its inception.
This year’s Dallas Debutants — most fifth and sixth generation Dallasites — are Delaney Compton McBee, Elly Donovan O’Brien, Elizabeth Roberts Thompson, Margaret Thompson, and Hallie Grace Weichsel.
After taking their full Texas bows during the Idlewood Club’s formal ball in November, the debutants are presented again by the Calyx Club in mid-December and the Terpsichorean Club in early January.
Their Idlewood escorts come mostly from the Park Cities and Preston Hollow.
Learn more about the debutants:
Delaney Compton McBee, the daughter of Carolyn and Michael McBee Jr., graduated from Highland Park High School. She is majoring in interior architecture and design at Academy of Art University, of San Francisco, and will graduate in May 2025. Her escort, Samuel Brannon Farrow, the son of Allison and Bob Farrow, enrolled at Texas A&M University after graduating from the Cambridge School of Dallas.
Elly Donovan O’Brien, the daughter of Caroline and Rick O’Brien, graduated from The Hockaday School. After graduating in May 2024 from Sewanee: The University of The South in Tennessee with a major in psychology, she joined the Chief Executives Organization (CEO) in Washington DC., where she works as a coordinator. Her escort, Davis Field, the son of Susan and John Field, enrolled at the University of Texas after graduating from Lake Highlands High School.
Elizabeth Roberts Thompson, the daughter of Lee and David Thompson, and a graduate of the Cambridge School of Dallas. She is majoring in classics and minoring in history at Trinity University. Her escort, Thomas May, the son of Laura and Sterling May, enrolled at Texas A&M after graduating from Highland Park.
Margaret Thompson, the daughter of Shannon and Jodie Thompson, graduated from Hockaday. She graduated in May 2024 from Washington & Lee University with a major in cognitive & behavioral science. Her escort, Hill Washburne, the son of Heather and Ray Washburne, enrolled at SMU after graduating grom St. Mark’s School of Texas.
Hallie Grace Weichsel, the daughter of Christie and Christian Weichsel, graduated from Santa Fe Preparatory School in New Mexico. She will graduate from Texas Christian University in May 2025 with a communication major and sports fitness minor. Her escort, John Lancaster, the son of Gigi and Jim Lancaster, enrolled at Sewanee after graduating from Highland Park.
